The Saga Reborn - Legacy Story of ToAtC
by StormEyeDragon
Summary: NO LONGER UP FOR ADOPTION. The new version of The Tragedy of Anakin the Chosen will be on Transformer g1's-Prime's account. My account will have access to other stories, and the community that has the other stories in it.
1. Part 1 - Chapter 1

Encroaching Shadows

* * *

33 years Before the Battle of Yavin - The Separatist Crisis is building…

1 year before the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation

* * *

Yoduda Vana System

Planet - Doyavu

* * *

The yellow-orange sun illuminated the jungles of Doyavu as it hung low in the evening sky. A spring gurgled from the base of a mountain, trickling into a small pool before spilling over a lip of rock on its way downhill and disappearing into the jungle. Small reptiles bathed in the fading sunlight as they lay on heated stones and sipped from the spring.

Jedi Knight Alek Barramere felt all of it as he sat at the edge of a clearing, the spring to his left. His eyes were closed, but he didn't need them to experience the beauty around him. The very Force around him teemed with sensations, fueled by the very life in the primal jungles of this unsettled Outer Rim world. It was so far removed from the way the Force felt on Coruscant, how it felt as he completed his duties in the Temple…

A voice behind him interrupted his musings. "Master?'

Speaking of his duties…

Alek opened his eyes. "Ah, yes. Vozani. What do you need, my Padawan?"

His rodian padawan stared at him for a brief moment as he turned to face her.

She gathered her breath, looking as if she had just stopped running. "I've... completed the Form Five exercises that you prepared for me." Her expression shifted from exertion to anticipation. "Is there anything else?" She asked, her voice sounding eager. "I am willing to practice another set if you have one for me."

Alek shook his head. "No, no, no. That is enough blade work for today. Go meditate, perhaps in the center of camp." He paused. "Just not in the ship please." She needed to get a feel for meditating when surrounded by non-sentient life. Meditating with access to the teaching holos on the ship's computer would ruin the experience, at least in his view. He would have suggested to meditate in the clearing where he was, but it was getting late, and Doyavu had several nocturnal predators that he'd rather not deal with yet.

Their camp, along with their ship, was in a similar clearing several kilometers downhill. Not unbearably far, but enough that Vozani didn't look thrilled to travel the distance again so soon. Not after just running it to come and tell him that she had completed the blade training that he had prepared for her.

Vozani held his gaze for a fleeting moment, her large, dark rodian eyes meeting his pale blue human eyes. She seemed conflicted about something. Perhaps she was considering what he had said?

Her gaze hardened. "With all due respect master, no. I think that I need to improve my blade work." Her tone was polite, but tense.

Alek suppressed the urge to scoff. It never paid to openly dismiss your Padawan's thoughts after all, even if they seemed slightly aggressive. There was always a better way to deal with negative emotions. After pausing a moment to collect his thoughts, he responded.

"Alright, but why do you feel that way? Please tell me." He tried to emulate the tone of voice his Master had used only a couple of years prior.

Vozani blinked. "I just … feel that I need to get stronger Master." Her speech started getting faster, and her eyes widened. "I can feel it every time I meditate. Something just tells me that danger is coming and—"

"Padawan." Alek's voice was firm. Fear, on the other hand, needed to be stopped. Smiling, he stood and faced her. "Vozani." His eyes held compassion, and he let his tone grow gentle. "Do not let fear of danger cloud your meditations. You need to let go of your fear. It will only lead to darkness and death." The teachings of the Temple rolled off his tongue, but felt a little hollow. He needed to be a good teacher, and assuring his student she had nothing to fear was what a good Jedi did, right? He felt that he should say something more, but didn't know what to say. She sensed his hesitation, and made use of it.

"Master. The Force itself is telling me that there is danger. Surely the teachings of the Temple, of the Jedi, do not tell me to ignore the Force?" Her tone was respectful, but demanded answers. Answers that she very much deserved, but ones he did not have.

"Vozani. Think on this for a moment. The Jedi have no enemies to fear at the moment." That wasn't necessarily true, but he pushed that thought aside and continued. "The Sith have been gone for centuries. The galaxy is, err, mostly at peace."

Vozani looked into his eyes, her face tightening in a Rodian expression of disbelief. "But surely the Force is right that danger is coming, right?" Her voiced carried hints of agitation.

Alek sighed. "Walk with me, Padawan." Without another word, he turned and began striding along the path through the jungle back to their camp. He heard Vozani turn and walk after him, matching her pace with his.

"Search our surroundings, my young Padawan." He slowed his gait, and turned to look at her. "There is no danger here, only life, and the Force."

Vozani looked right at him, frustration now creeping into her voice. "But the Force is telling me that danger is coming. Can't you feel it?" She stopped and stared at him, her arms crossed.

Alek suppressed a groan. "Just, drop it okay? Let's just get back to camp and call it a night." He thought for a moment. "Tell you what. I'll have more exercises ready for you in the morning if it makes you feel better." He paused, waiting for her reaction to his offer.

She grinned, the tension dropping from her stance. "That sounds good to me." She turned away from him, and started jogging back to their camp, her footsteps kicking up loose dirt as she maneuvered through the plant life.

Alek grinned. Maybe being a teacher wouldn't be so bad after all. He had had his doubts about his ability to teach a combat-oriented pupil, but the Council had assigned her as his Padawan, so that had been that. At least they had granted him this first training mission rather than sending the pair of them into a disaster zone right off the bat. He wasn't a very combative Jedi, so sticking him with an aggressive Padawan would not have been helpful if he had say, been sent to deal with the border disputes in the Outer Rim.

Alek looked to the sky, and noticed that the clouds were starting to show hints of the coming sunset. He picked up his pace. It wasn't quite the jog that his Padawan had used, but it was more than the slow, methodical plodding that he had just been at. He immersed himself in the fading light of evening, and grew happy as the Force responded with echoes of life. He felt something then, a touch of cold. A touch of darkness. It vanished as quickly as it had come.

He brushed it off. This training mission was going well. Nothing would ruin it. And there was no danger here. He increased his pace again, racing the light of the setting sun as he tried to make it back to camp before dark. He needed to complete the training holo for Vozani before all of the light was gone, after all.

* * *

Dawn filled the sky with color, the sun appearing red on the horizon as the sky shifted to a light blue. The clouds still held some of the darkness of night, but the sun slowly banished the darkness leaving only shadows beneath the canopy of the jungle below.

Alek rolled out of his cot, joints popping as he stood. A lovely day indeed. The Force reverberated with the feeling of morning, all the creatures around the area preparing for the day.

"Up!" he called. "C'mon Padawan. It's a brand-new day!" His voice brimmed with amusement.

Vozani appeared quickly enough, fully dressed, but rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Yes, yes. I know. It's your turn to make breakfast though."

Alek grinned, mischief creeping onto his face. "Oh, come now," he said in mock seriousness. "You are the Padawan. It's part of your training to make all the meals."

The glare that she gave him could have melted durasteel.

Alek raised his hands. "Alright, alright. I'll cook the meal." He grinned. "How do you like your caf again?"

Vozani's expression shifted back to a more neutral face. "Plain. You make it taste horrible any other way."

Alek focused for a moment, and pulled the caf mix over to himself. "Well then. I can do that." He lowered his voice. "I still say that it tastes great when I do it." Shrugging, he started the cookpot, and opened the caf mix. Today would be a long day.

* * *

Out in the darkness of the void, a ship dropped soundlessly from hyperspace. Its sharp front pointed like a dagger at Doyavu, which filled most of the viewscreen of the cockpit inside. A hooded figure sat in the pilot's seat, staring at the display before it.

After a moment of motionless observation, the figure began to move. The figure lifted an arm and pressed a button, eyes searching a display on the screens before him. The screen pinged once, placing a blip on the image of one of the continents on the surface below.

With his target now in sight, the figure piloted the craft down towards the planet below, and the ship slid silently into the atmosphere.

* * *

Master and Padawan made their way to the distant clearing. The overall setting of the clearing was much the same as yesterday. The spring still gurgled, the reptiles and other small animals scurried about in the sunlight. The only difference the position of the sun. Its light grew stronger as the morning dragged on.

When they arrived, Alek handed Vozani a holo-recording. She nodded, and began to walk towards the center of the clearing. He watched as she settled into the first stance, and pulled out her lightsaber handle.

Vozani took a breath, and willed the blade into existence. The bright blue blade burst from the hilt, matching both the color of the sky, and the light of the sun. As always, she felt the currents of the Force churn around the weapon, like it was telling her to move the blade. She grinned.

Satisfied that she was doing well, Alek turned and walked along the tree line and stopped near the spring that he had found the day before. Taking his seat at the edge of the clearing, Alek once again lost himself in the Force around him. He embraced the warmth of the jungle morning.

Vozani swiftly and surely moved through the forms that the holo displayed for her. It was obvious to her that her Master was uncomfortable with his blade. It showed in the way he stood, how he performed each form. That didn't really matter to her though. She knew enough to guess how the form should actually look. Form Five wasn't that difficult for her. Its aggressive style suited her.

Eventually she lost herself in the training. She let the currents guide her blade, let them focus her movements. Then she felt it. The Force was screaming at her! Darkness, danger, death, shadow, enemy! Vozani stumbled, and deactivated her lightsaber. She started gasping for breath, willing her heartbeat to steady.

For the briefest moment, Alek felt it too. He shivered, and stopped his meditation. Noticing Vozani's state, he rushed over to her.

"Vozani!" he called desperately. "Are you alright?" His normally voice was now colored with concern. He stood over her as she recovered.

Vozani slowly lowered her heart rate, remembering the techniques that she had been taught as a youngling. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace." Which wasn't entirely true, she knew, positive emotions like compassion kept the Jedi sane. But the mantra did its job well enough. She was calm, everything would be fine.

Then she heard a strange noise. Alek noticed it as well. A shadow hung in the sky over their heads. The pair looked up as a strange ship hovered above the clearing, and a ramp opened. A hooded figure dropped several meters, and stared at them.

Alek stared in confusion as he tried to keep the fear out of his mind. The Force seemed awash with danger as the figure approached. Alek called out to the figure. "You there, what do you want?"

The figure did not stop or respond. It simply pulled a long, double-bladed metal spear off of its back and charged towards them. Its speed seemed unnatural.

Alek drew his lightsaber and ignited it, the emerald-colored blade springing to life with a hiss. This would surely stop the assailant. While the Jedi were hardly universally adored, usually attackers knew not to attack someone holding an unblockable laser sword from close range.

But the figure didn't stop. In fact, the sight of the galaxy-renowned weapon only seemed to spur them forwards. It was at that moment that Alek realized that something was truly wrong here.

The figure would be on them in less than ten seconds at this rate. Alek turned briefly to Vozani. "Stay behind me," he ordered. "And be prepared to flee back to the ship if I, actually, just go now!" With that, he assumed a generic Form One defense stance. With a brief nod, Vozani turned away from him and fled towards the ship. The figure raised an arm, and Vozani stumbled to the ground.

Alek's blood turned to ice as the figure lunged at him. _'A force user!'_ he thought. He attempted to slice the attacker's weapon apart, although he had a sneaking suspicion…

His suspicion was confirmed when his blade bounced off of the figure's weapon with an unearthly squeal. Cortosis. His lightsaber blade would be hard pressed to affect the weapon.

The figure spun, giving him no further time for thought. Even when immersing himself in the Force to fight, Alek was hard pressed to match the speed of his assailant.

They clashed blades for several seconds, giving Vozani the chance to escape into the jungle.

The figure paused to note her path, and Alek took the opening to jump back and send a large Force Push at the attacker. However, the figure was not as distracted as it looked, and braced itself, so that only its hood was knocked away.

Alek got a brief look at its face. It looked like a red skinned male Zabrak. That was all he noticed before the attacker lept at him with speed surpassing anything that he had revealed so far.

The attacker shoved his left arm towards Alek, and Alek's backwards jump turned into a rapid flight into a tree that ended with a sickening crunch. Alek felt his ribs and spine crack, pain coursing through his torso as his lightsaber fell from his numb hand. Not that it mattered. Shortly after, the spear the Zabrak held in his right hand found its way into Alek's neck.

After Alek's corpse slumped to the ground, Maul pulled the lightsaber to him with the Force, and sprinted down the path after the fleeing padawan.

Zolani was rushing back to the ship when she felt it. Her Master-Padawan Force bond was severed. The shock was so great that she stumbled once more, though she caught herself this time. She steeled herself then. She would avenge her master or die trying. She turned back towards where her master had died, and reignited her sapphire-blue blade.

She didn't even have time to react. The spear, thrown by Maul and accelerated by the Force, slammed into her torso with enough force to send her hurtling into the dense underbrush. The lightsaber flew from her grip as she bounced off of a tree and fell into a pit in the ground. A slow moving carnivorous Gondavoya rose out of the pit and bit her arm. Slowly, it dragged her beneath the surface, into its den for consumption.

Not quite dead, Vozani struggled for a few moments until her lungs collapsed fully. After that, she accepted the sweet bliss of oblivion, and the Force. The spear stayed lodged in her torso until it was yanked out of her with a sickening squelch, called to its master. Maul secured it to his back, and summoned the second lightsaber to his outstretched hand. He stood there for a moment, as if pondering something. Without a word, he strode back to the location of the first corpse. Some time later, the gondavoya would reemerge from its den to find an even larger meal had wandered into its pit trap.

Maul walked purposefully into the camp and strode onto the Jedi transport vessel. Pulling a datastick from his cloak, he inserted it into the dataport in the cockpit, and left the ship. No sooner did he step off of the boarding ramp did the ship take off, its hacked autopilot plotting a course straight into the system's sun.

Looking at the camp around him, Maul quickly moved all the leftover materials in the camp into one big pile of bedding and machinery, and ignited it with a short burst of rather weak Force Lightning. He shook his head in distaste as the materials burned. He never did like the Lightning, it wasn't his style. He was much better at the much more combative facet of the Dark Side. The mystic lightning did not come easily to him.

Once the pile finished burning, he levitated a mass of dirt over the ashes and let it fall. After that, he strode out of camp, walking through the sunlit forest back to his waiting ship. Once there, he jumped upwards several meters onto the ramp, and walked into the cockpit. Once there, he pressed a button on the main set of touchscreens, and sat back in his chair.

The ship slowly turned upwards, and accelerated upwards out of the atmosphere and into the void beyond. Once in space, Maul turned on his long-range hypertransmitter, and waited as it bounced the subspace signal off of several hidden Holonet nodes until it reached his Master on Naboo. Once it had, his Master appeared in a burst of blue light and static.

"Well, my assassin. I assume this means that you have killed the pair of Jedi?" His tone suggested that he already knew the answer.

Maul nodded, his expression betraying no emotion.

"Good," his Master intoned. "Very good. You are one step closer to being my true apprentice. It is time to construct your new weapon as I have taught you. Contact me again when it is finished."

Maul nodded once more. "As you wish, master."

The hologram cut off, and Maul was left in a silent cockpit. He set the course for Naboo. He would return to his master's private estate, and present his new weapon to his master for inspection, and when he would finally be graced with the presence of the current Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Plagueis. It would be quite an honor. But he was getting ahead of himself. First, he would need to forge his new weapon.

With that in mind, he waited for the ship to jump to lightspeed, then left the cockpit, and traveled down to the lower deck. He entered into the ready room, where a large assortment of lightsaber parts lay on a high-quality cloth that covered a raised table, with an open space in the middle.

Removing the deceased Knight's lightsaber from his belt, he deftly took his spear in one hand, and placed the lightsaber on the table with the other. He then swiftly brought his spear down onto the silver hilt, shattering it and revealing the nigh-invulnerable Kyber crystal at its heart. He grinned, and levitated the rest of the shattered assembly into the bin at his side. Repeating the process with the fallen Padawan's lightsaber, he soon had two faintly glowing Kyber crystals on the tablecloth in front of him, both singing melodies that he could not hear.

Now came the only hard part. The assembly of his hilt would be just a few minutes of focus. The task of taking the crystals for his own would require his full attention. And so, he did just that. He levitated the two crystals in front of him as he sat on the cold metal floor of his ship. Concentrating on the crystals, he began to pour his pain into them. And as he did so, the crystals' songs began to dim, and Maul began to hear them.

The crystals began to scream.

* * *

On a desert planet in Hutt Space, a 12-year-old slave had just finished his walk home for the night. He opened the door silently, so as to not wake his mother, who he hoped was sleeping right now, rather than working on whatever project that their master had her working her fingers to the bone over at the moment.

She was sleeping when he walked in. Thank goodness for small mercies at least. He allowed himself a smile at the thought. Closing the door to her room, he made his way to his bedroom.

Once there, he removed the circuit piece that he had lifted off of one of the traders that had tried to cheat his master today. His master allowed him to keep some of what he stole from people who tried to cheat his master, so long as his master got a majority of the stolen tech. But that suited the boy fine. He would make his droid, piece by piece using the skills his mother taught him. The droid would help his mother with her technical work. He had made it using parts of old C and R-unit droids.

But truth be told, the droid had another purpose. The droid's memory banks would eventually surpass that of the average R2 unit, and it would be used to plot their hyperspace route off of this rock. If they could get their hands on a ship, that is. But if he continued to win small time podraces for his master, he knew that they would eventually work off his mother's lifedebt, and they would be free.

But until then, the boy would work for his master, build his droid, love his mother, and stare up at the night stars, hoping for a future as bright as the twin suns.

 _"But you know that won't happen, child. If you want a future, just turn to me."_

The boy winced. The voice in his head had been there for as long as he could remember, but the doctor visits, which added to his mother's already heavy lifedebt, said that there was nothing to be done about the voices in his head. They couldn't even find a reason for there to be voices in his head.

But the boy knew that it was there. It spoke to him in the night, like just now. It promised a good future, if only he let it take control. His mother had believed him, and told him to trust in her, and in himself. So he did. The voice didn't care. It assured him that it would be with him until the day that he died, and beyond.

* * *

 **AN: So here is the first chapter of a "main" story. As you may have guessed, this story will cover the entirety of the prequel trilogy. If you have any questions about this new Saga, please see my profile, or PM me if the Profile doesn't cover enough. Also, sorry that this is a little later than I planned, and if you got like 2 notifications. The document glitched when it uploaded. For any of you that care, Alek looks like a 25-27 year old Sean Bean. Vozani is Rodian, which for those of you that might not know, is Greedo's species. Cortosis in this Saga doesn't short out lightsabers because they both work differently, which will be explained later.** And here's the disclaimer. I do not own anything that is officially part of Star Wars, Legends or Canon. I do not claim ownership of any of the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, or any published authors. I am not making any money from this story.


	2. Part 1 - Chapter 2

Fire Over Paradise

* * *

32 years Before the Battle of Yavin - The Separatist Crisis is building…

Coruscant - The Senate Building

* * *

"And let it be known that the Naboo system has been cheating the Trade Federation out of several months of shipping fees! Our records are quite clear on this! The combined shipping fees on their shipments of plasma are being displayed on your screens now. I can see many of your reactions. Indeed, this is a rather hefty sum. Therefore, we seek approval from the Senate to use our trading vessels to form a non-aggressive blockade of the system until they agree to pay us every last credit that they have denied us."

"We would, of course, agree to Jedi oversight of this process. We want this to go well just as much as you do! We only wish to peacefully have what is rightfully ours, nothing more…."

...

"After much deliberation, this body has come to an agreement. Representatives of the Trade Federation, by the will of this Senate and the Republic, your request has been approved. The Trade Federation may move forward with a limited blockade of the Naboo system until such time as they have paid their dues, pending investigations from Jedi Overseers. Let this be a message to any system that tries to hoard wealth for itself at the expense of other our honest businesses! This Republic will not tolerate it, even from a system so respected as Naboo. I hereby declare this meeting adjourned.

Excerpt of transcript of Trade Fed. appeal to Senate, Date - 03:1:05, Time - 05:42

* * *

Naboo

* * *

Forty eight large, circular Lucrehulk-class vessels of the Trade Federation hung over the planet of Naboo like vultures. Each major spaceport on the planet was accounted for, as well as several key cities, such as the capital of Theed, Dee'ja peak, home of the Parliament. Several other ships simply made high-orbit patrols and observed the entire planet from afar.

A red Consular-class Cruiser dropped out of hyperspace, and hailed a Trade Federation ship that bore the Neimoidian symbols for command.

"Trade Federation command vessel _Dleefnarc,_ this is the Republic diplomatic vessel _Concordia._ We have onboard the Jedi Ambassadors assigned to oversee this blockade. Please respond." The captain did not have to wait long before the _Dleefnarc_ responded.

A Neimoidian appeared onscreen."Greetings, _Concordia_." The captain noted that the Neimoidian was not the well-known Viceroy Gunray. "As you may have noticed, this is Captain Zind Srevmo. Viceroy Gunray has requested that the ambassadors meet him on the surface of Naboo. The viceroy's shuttle is awaiting your decision."

The captain narrowed her eyes. "That's not what the Senate set as the requirements for this meet—"

A gentle voice came from the robes figure behind her. "Go ahead, Captain. The Senate will respect my report regardless. I would very much like to see Naboo myself. Seeing how the locals are reacting to the blockade will make for a much more meaningful report."

The captain pressed her lips together. Why couldn't people just stick to plans? But the request of a Jedi Master carried a lot of weight."Very well, Master Jedi." To the copilot, she added, "Hail them."

"Yes Captain." The copilot activated the comm. When the signal went through, the captain addressed the Trade Federation vessel.

"The Jedi ambassadors have agreed to meet the Viceroy on the surface of Naboo." Captain Srevmo was quick to respond.

"Excellent! I will tell the Viceroy of your decision immediately." He cut off the transmission.

"And now we shall wait for our hosts," the Jedi said. "Follow their ship when they appear." The hooded Jedi turned and left the room, seeming to glide silently through the cockpit doorway.

Once he was gone, the copilot turned to the captain. "If I may—"

The captain cut him off. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but we have our orders." The tension in her stance lessened. "Besides, it's not like the Trade Federation is going to do something stupid. The Senate would have their slimy hides."

With her piece said, the Captain turned to the transparisteel viewport in front of her. Understanding that the conversation was over, the copilot joined her in waiting on the Trade Federation shuttle.

* * *

"Excellent. You know what to do. Go to the prepared chamber. It is time to set the next stage in motion."

Viceroy Nute Gunray bowed his head. "Yes, my lord." Raising his eyes, he looked at the crackling blue hologram before him. The thin, elongated face of Darth Plagueis stared back, eyes seeming to bore into his very soul. "Are you certain that the Senate will allow the next step?" His voice held no small amount of fear and uncertainty.

Plagueis's eyes darkened, seeming to glow even through the hologram. When he responded, the respirator that enveloped his lower face gave his voice a synthetic edge. "I assure you, Viceroy, that my apprentice is doing his part in the Senate to ensure that this plan does not fail. Indeed, the starfighters and pilots that he prepared are ready as well. Just do your part as instructed Viceroy, and all will be as I have planned. Is that understood?" With that, Plagueis lapsed into silence, waiting for Gunray's answer.

Gunray swallowed. "Yes, my lord," he managed. "I understand."

"Good." With that, Plagueis cut the transmission.

Gunray turned and looked at his shuttle. He located a battle droid with pilot markings, and waved. The droid understood the signal, saluted, and walked up the ramp of the shuttle, closing the door behind it. The shuttle carried several volunteers, one of them Gunray's own cousin. A near genetic match for the Viceroy, he was also dressed in Gunray's standard diplomatic attire. Gunray watched from the hangar floor as the shuttle lifted off of the floor and slowly moved towards the open hangar door. Once it left through the force field, he turned and walked into a hallway, making his way back to the carefully designed communication chamber. It would allow him to pretend that he was on the shuttle, and the Republic cruiser would be none the wiser. The signal would use the shuttle as a relay point, so it would appear as if the shuttle was his true location. A very wise plan indeed. Soon, his role would be over, and he could simply let his underlings play their parts as he watched in comfort. He grinned lecherously, his mind drifting to the new Twi'lek dancers that had just arrived. 'Watching in comfort indeed,' he thought.

* * *

"Captain." The copilot pointed out the new sensor contact.

"I see it, Commander." The Captain acknowledged.

"They are hailing us, Captain," the copilot reported as he watched the communications panel.

"Onscreen." The captain watched as the face of Nute Gunray filled the comm screen.

"Greetings, _Concordia._ I am glad that you could join me. Now, if you would please follow me to the surface, you can complete your investigation, and return to the Senate with the satisfaction of a job well done." The viceroy's face was neutral, betraying nothing. The captain didn't like it, but since the Jedi had given her orders, there was little that she could do.

"Acknowledged. If you don't mind, Viceroy, where on be surface are we going?" The captain raised an eyebrow.

Gunray smiled almost imperceptibly. "My apologies. I will transmit the coordinates and flight path now." He cut the transmission.

The comm panel beeped, and the copilot pressed a series of buttons, then paused. "Flight path and destination received, Captain. Permission to plot the path?"

The captain allowed herself a slight smile. "Granted, Commander." The commander was young. Most members of the navy his age were no higher than Lieutenant at best. Perhaps he would be one of the officers chosen to command one of the navy's war cruisers. A shame really, to have so many officers tied up in a mostly outdated division. There had been no need for a large navy for roughly a millennium. Pirates were the only common threat, and they tended to be outmatched by an average planetary defense squadron, much less a military-grade cruiser.

A series of beeps snapped bee out of her thoughts. "Course has been set, Captain. Shall I contact the Jedi?" He looked at her expectantly.

"Go ahead. Just let them know that we are finally underway." Without another word, she engaged the main engines and started following the path, making small adjustments as the ship entered the planet's hyperdrive limit, gravity ever so slightly gripping the ship.

* * *

The two vessels made their way down to the planet, sloping slowly as they approached the surface. Several minutes passed as they moved through the atmosphere. The pair of ships rapidly made their way over the Gungan swamplands, slowing their speed so as to not violate the speed limits set by a previous treaty.

* * *

Watching the sensor feeds carefully, Viceroy Gunray pressed a button on the comm panel at his front. A tight-beam transmission rapidly made its way to the surface from the subspace radio transmitter, reaching its distant destination near instantaneously, far faster than lightspeed.

* * *

Four Naboo starfighters lifted off of the ground several kilometers ahead. Each cockpit contained the corpse of a previous pilot, all kidnapped and murdered hours before. Carefully programmed astromech droids acted as the pilots as the ships accelerated to maximum speed. Their attack formation was a standard Naboo Navy formation, specifically designed for attacking pirate cruisers. All four readied their torpedoes for launch.

* * *

Sitting at a table in the main room of the cruiser, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi looked troubled. "Master Qui-Gon. Something feels wrong. I can feel a great deal of fear from the shuttle."

His master looked at him. His padawan must have been quite stressed if he addressed his master by name. Not that Qui-Gon blamed him. "I feel it also. Something strange is going on—"

The feeling vanished, replaced by a brief flash of pain, then fear from the cockpit of their cruiser. A voice called over the intercom. "Brace!" With that, the ship shuddered under a heavy blow. "Get to the pods Jedi! They've already killed the Federation shuttle, and—" The intercom shut off and the ship shuddered again. The ship started losing altitude. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared a quick look before rushing to the large escape pod at the front of the ship.

* * *

The remains of the Sheathipede-class shuttle had long since crashed to the ground behind them. Its destruction has been the only warning the Republic ship had been given. The first starfighter hadn't even fired a weapon, but instead rammed headlong into the shuttle. Not that it really mattered, it still alerted the cruiser to the threat. The shields had barely been raised before a set of torpedoes rocked the ship. Both captain and copilot worked furiously to keep the ship in the air, even as the ship was steadily falling towards the swamps below.

The ship shuddered under another torpedo. The copilot's face was tight, but his voice was strangely calm. "The shields over the engines are failing. The reactor is overheating. And—"

"I get it." She keyed the intercom. "Jedi, are you in the escape pod?" The captain's voice was similarly controlled, with only a hint of tension.

The Jedis' response came immediately. "We are, Captain. The ship is going down, then?" The tone held a touch of concern.

"Yes. We are trying to put it down carefully. If we can't, we'll at least try and make it so they can't target your pod." She waited for a response.

"Very well, Captain. Thank you. May the Force be with you."

With that, the captain shut off the intercom. "And with you, Master Jedi." The words felt hollow, but they provided some comfort. She had just turned to the copilot again when the ship shuddered heavily and the sound of tearing metal filled her ears.

"Engineering is gone, Captain! The engines are failing!" Now the copilot's voice betrayed his panic.

The captain looked at their altitude. Low enough. The escape pod would vanish into the water without being targeted. It was a miracle that they hadn't already lost it, but the enemy attacks had been concentrated on the rear of the ship.

Without a hint of hesitation, she jettisoned the main escape pod. And not a moment too soon. Barely a moment later, a set of torpedoes slammed into the reactor, and the ship vanished, replaced by a ball of fire and scrap metal. The pod continued towards the ground unhindered, having been outside of the range of the explosion.

* * *

In the escape pod, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat, strapped to their seats as the pod plummeted towards the swampland below. They both winced as they felt the deaths of the crew of the cruiser above them.

Obi-Wan looked towards his master. "So how long do you think it will take for the pod to reach the ground, Master?"

Qui-Gon met the eyes of his padawan. "I do not know. I suspect—" Their conversation was cut off as the pod plowed into the swampy ground below them, sinking slightly into the shallow water.

* * *

The three remaining fighters hung in the air for a few moments before the last of their programming kicked in. Two of the fighters rapidly shot into the sky, while the third made a nosedive towards the closest lake. While the third crashed and sunk below the surface of the lake, the other two rapidly turned in midair, pointed themselves towards a collection of statues, and gunned their engines. Moments later, they collided with the ancient stone faces and exploded. The statues vanished, little more than dust and gravel when the explosions faded.

* * *

Up in orbit, Nute Gunray watched with apprehension plain on his face as the reports came in from their sensors. His face slowly morphed into a grin as more and more of the reports filtered in. When the last reports came in that the fighters had crashed, he was grinning fully. Success.

He activated his comlink."Order the Bridge to begin the next phase. Contact the Senate first, of course. We wouldn't want to do this carelessly."

"Yes, Viceroy," Captain Srevmo replied. "With all due respect, Viceroy, this will have to be the last transmission, as you are dead now." The Captain looked uneasy at having to say this.

Gunray was unfazed. "But of course, Captain. Good luck with the invasion. May you avenge me and the poor Jedi well." With that, he cut the transmission, turning his attention to the pair of Twi'lek slaves in front of him. "As for you my pretties, would you please put on a nice show? I was a good man in life, after all. My afterlife should be full of fun!" Chuckling to himself, he watched as they began to dance.

* * *

The boy awoke with a start. It was still before the dawn. He shivered, though not from the cold. Something felt wrong, but he didn't know what. He listened carefully. His mother was probably still sleeping, but it never hurt to be certain. Ever since her finger injury three months ago, she had had to cut back on the work she did for her master. Her life debt seemed further and further away from repayment every day.

 _That just means that you are the one doing more work, doesn't it, boy?_

The boy grimaced. Of course the Invader had to offer its opinion. It had been growing stronger ever since his mother had gotten hurt.

 _Of course I have, boy. You are the one that has made me stronger. You have fed me with your despair and with your fear for your, no_. Our _mother._

"No," the boy whispered, though he was far from convinced. "My mother. You're just an invader in my mind."

 _You can believe that all you want boy. But I am a part of you now._ The voice grew darker _. And I always will be. Do you know how I know? I can do_ this _!_

The boy grew dizzy, and fainted. He awoke in a cloudy place. "Where am I?" His voice echoed until it faded into nothing. Hearing something behind him, he turned. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Something stepped out of his shadow, a mirror image of himself except for the face. The thing's face had a pair of yellow eyes. The boy's eyes were blue.

The boy stumbled backwards. "What, what are you?" His voice was heavy with fear.

The thing laughed. "I told you. I am part of you. And as for where you are, well, I guess you could say that this place is part of your mind. Not quite the entirety of it, but the section that controls your sense of identity." The thing turned away from him for a moment, then turned back, clutching its chest. "Well," it said, sounding pained. "I suppose that this this is the end of our little meeting. I seem to have overestimated my ability to control you. Goodbye for now, boy."

With that, the cloudy place went dark. The boy awoke again with a start, sweat covering his body. He glanced around again, straining his ears, but heard nothing. His mother was still asleep. Good. The boy looked around the dark room until his eyes found the window. Still not even a hint of dawn. Shaking himself, he got out of bed slowly. He didn't feel tired anymore. Crossing the room, he approached the droid at the side of his desk.

When he reached the droid, he flipped it on, immediately putting a finger to his mouth. The droid saw the gesture, and understood. It did not greet him with the usual set of whistles. Instead, it stared at him, waiting for instructions.

"Morning, Artoo," he whispered. "Let's run another diagnostic, okay? Blink once if yes."

A light on the front of the droid's chest blinked once. Its single eye seemed happy as it stared at the boy.

The boy smiled. "Let's do this, buddy." The boy and the droid slowly checked each system for errors, correcting minor bugs as they went along. The boy loved working on his droid. It was almost as much fun as flying in podraces. He didn't even notice that the voice in his head was silent for the rest of the time that he was working. All the while, the stars moved overhead, the constellations shifting slowly as night shifted into dawn.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the two updates, I noticed that the Invader's first couple of lines weren't in italics. Anyway. Here's the next chapter of Anakin the Chosen, one of many stories set in this new Saga. If you have any questions about this new Saga, please see my profile, or PM me if the Profile doesn't cover enough. If you wish to follow the entire Saga as it comes out, I have a community set up that the stories are a part of. Following the community may make it easier to follow the Saga as a whole. Dleefnarc means Trade Agreement in Neimoidian. And the reason the cruiser could take hits from torpedoes is because the shields were up. In the Phantom Menace, I always assumed that the laser cannon hit before the shields went up, and that's why it was destroyed by one blast, compared to when the Falcon took a turbolaser blast when shielded in Empire Strikes Back. Or when Leia's corvette took several laser hits before the shields failed.** Here's the disclaimer. I do not own anything that is officially part of Star Wars, Legends or Canon. I do not claim ownership of any of the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, or any published authors. I am not making any money from this story.


	3. Notice - Good News

Hello Everyone.

Thanks to the actions of Transformers g1's-Prime, the Saga Reborn will now be part of a colab effort between, at a minimum, the two of us.

Others are welcome to join in and help.

At this time, The Tragedy of Anakin will be moved over to Transformers g1's-Prime's account. Technically copied while the one on my profile is renamed, but that's not the point.

Hopefully more should be coming out soon!

Also this chapter is temporary for any story that will have new chapters coming.

\- StormEyeDragon


	4. More Good News - next chapter is out!

Yo.

A reminder that this is now a collab story with Transformer g1's-Prime.

If you follow/favorite the community on my profile for this Saga, you can receive updates for all stories that aren't on my profile.

This is just an announcement that the third chapter is finally finished and is available for reading on Transformer g1's-Prime's version of the story.

Edit - It was up as of February 5th. For some reason my alert didn't tell me that it had updated.

This is for any of the readers that have not yet followed/favorited/discovered Transformer g1's-Prime's version of the story.


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